Automobile lock



May 16, 1939 H. s. JANDUS 2,158,455

AUTOMOBILE LOCK Filed Nov. 18, 1937 2 shets-sheet 1 VE DF 175425527- c/v/voms.

May 16, 1939. H. s. JANDus AUTOMOBILE LOCK FiledNov. 18, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .VE 70V Hezeser S (Z4/varas.

e e i@ 3 2 3 5 Patented May 16, 1939 2,158,455

UNITED STATES PATENT OlFFlCE AUTOMOBILE LOCK Herbert S.` Jandus, Detroit, Mich., assignor,A by

mesne assignments, to Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a. corporation of Michigan Application November` 18, 1937, Serial No. 1752272 1 Claim. (01.. 200-42) This invention relates to-automobile locks, parporated in the lock structure disclosed by the ticularlyto that type oflock which controls the drawings, in which drawings: locking of the automobile steering and also the Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the lock, partly closure and opening of electrical circuits, as forin section;

5. example, the ignition circuit for an automobile. Figure 2- is a real VieW With the COVel" Ofl the 5 It is desirableV in some types of automobiles to switch box removed; have the lock also control the closure and open- Figure 3- is a section on plane IDL-III of ing of other circuits besides the ignition circuit, Figure 1; as-for example', electrical circuits for indicating Figure 4Y is a section on plane IV-IV of 10 devices on the instrument board, as'for example Figure 2; 10 the circuit for the oil pressure gauge inv which Figure 5 is an innerside View of the switch the pressure indication is controlled by current box cover; ow through electrical coils- Figures 6, 7 and 8 diagrammatically show The invention is of particular advantage in various positions of the switch blade relative to l connection with the type of lock now extensively the circuit terminal contacts; l5

in use: in automobiles, in which a non-rotatable Figure 9 is aview like Figure 2 showing a modilocking bolt is axially shiftable to steering locked form of toggle'mechanism; ing or unlocking position, andV a rotatable igni- Figure 10 is a section through the switch box tionv switch operating lever has interlocking asof Figure 9 showing the toggle arrangement 20 sociation with the locking bolt so that the locktherein; 20 ing bolt cannot be shifted to steering locking Figure 1l is a plan view of one of the toggle position while the ignition is on, and the ignition plates; cannot be turned' on until the locking bolt is Figure 12 is an end View of the toggle plate of shifted to unlocking position. With such type Figurell; of lock, an additional contact could be provided Figure 13 isa rear viewl of theswitch block; 25

for the ignition switch blade and connectedv with and the instrument circuit when the switch is: oper- Figure 14 is a front view oi'- the switch block ated for connecting the ignition with a current and switchblade thereon. supply source such as a battery. However, it is The general structure of the locks shown is :1,0 desirable that, as between the ignitionv circuit and substantiallyv like that of Van Sickel Patent No. 3b

the other circuit, the ignition circuit should' be 1,917,620Ju1y 11, 1933, the first to close and the last to open, in order Brieily describing this lock structure, it comto prevent any comparatively high potentialcurprises a bOdY l having the Semi-Circular arms 2 rent discharge from the ignition coil through the extending therefrom for clamp-ing the-lock strucdelicate coil of an indicating instrument conture to the steering column 3 of a steering wheel 35 nected with the additional switch contact. With (not shown) mounted on the steering shaft 4, to the type of locks referred t0, the manufacturing which shaft a bushing 5 is secured having a lock tolerances, though small, may permit suncient bolt receiving notch The bGdY has the longibackward movement or backlash of the switch tudinallyv extending bore 'i which communicates m lever, particularly when the lock bolt is in steerwith the bore through a laterally extending boss 40 ing. locking position for permitting engagement 8 which receives a lock cylinder casing 9 of a of the switch blade with the ignition circuit terlock cylinder lil operable by a suitable key. minal. This would result in wearing down 0f Thelock bolt structure comprises the cylindrithe battery, andv in some cases burning of the cal body H bored at its outer end to receive the 4,, ignition coils. The important object of the inlockY bolt l2, which is urgedV outwardly bya' 45 vention is therefore to provide improved control springl i3, the bolt body at its outer end having of the switch blade by the switch lever so that the longitudinally extending channel i4 for resuch loose movement oi` the switch lever will be ceiving the end of a guide and locking pin l5 compensated for andA the switch blade will be securedl in the body I, this pin preventing rota- 5c accurately shifted for engagement with the igni tional movement of the lock bolt structure but 50 tion contact and the other circuit Contactin the permitting axial movement thereof into steering desired sequence, and thus eliminate any poslocking or unlocking position. sibility of injurious current iiow through the igni- The, bolt structure bodyv has the recess Il in tion coils, or running down of the battery. its side for receiving the cam disc I8- at the end y5;, The invention is shown applied to and incorof the lock cylinder Hl, so that when the lock 55 cylinder is turned the lock structure is shifted axially.

At its inner end the bore 1 is intersected by a cross passage I9 in the lock body, in which cross passage is located the hub 23 of the switch actuating lever structure, the actuating handle 2i for the lever structure extending upwardly and outwardly from the cross passage, and the hub at its lower end having a pin 22 projecting therefrom outwardly through the lower end of the cross passage for cooperation with switch mechanism to be described later. The hub 2U receives and is journaled on the reduced diameter or neck portion 24 of the lock bolt structure body I l, and the hub has the axially extending channel 25 on its inner side for receiving a key 23 projecting from the bolt structure part 24. An escutcheon plate 2l secured to the lock body forms a guide for the switch lever handle and holds the switch lever structure against axial movement. With the arrangement thus far disclosed, the switch lever structure and the lock bolt structure are adapted for interlock, the key 2B on the lock bolt structure being withdrawn from the switch lever structure when the lock bolt is in steering unlocking position so that the switch lever may then be manipulated for switch operation, and the key and the channel being out of register when the switch lever is in switch closing position so that the lock bolt structure cannot then be shifted to steering locking position but can be so shifted only when the switch lever has rst been moved to switch opening position.

The switch mechanism comprises a box or housing 28 for the switch parts, the housing seating against the bottom of the lock body across the passage I9. The switch housing bottom has a guide slot 29 through which the switch pin 22 extends, the slot permitting rotary movement of the switch lever structure but assisting in holding said structure against axial movement.

The switch shown comprises a triangular switch block 3E! of insulating material for supporting a substantially T-shaped switch blade 3l having at its ends the deflections or contact beads 32, 33 and 34 respectively for engaging with the inner faces of terminal contacts 35, 3E and 3l respectively, which terminals are mounted on a cover plate 38 for the switch housing 28. Screws 39 extend through the cover plate and the switch housing body for threaded engagement with the lock body I and for detachably securing the switch structure and assembly to the lock body.

The switch housing body is deected to form a pivot support 43 for extending into the pivot hole li in the switch block in axial alignment with the contact bead 32 of the switch blade. Springs 42 are disposed between the switch block and the switch blade at the contact bead ends, and a stud 42' extending from the switch block guides and limits the movement of the switch blade by the springs, the springs assuring good contact of the contact beads with the contact terminals. The switch blade contact bead 32 is always in engagement with the terminal contact 35, and as the switch block is swung on its pivot 40, the switch blade contact beads 33 and 34 are connected with or disconnected from the terminal contacts 36 and 31 respectively, the swing of the switch block and switch blade resulting from swinging movement of the pin 22 by the switch lever structure.

The lock structure and operation thus far described is substantially the same as that in Patent No. 1,917,620 referred to herein before, except that in the application structure the switch blade is provided with a third contact 35 and the switch housing cover is provided with a corresponding terminal contact 3l, this arrangement being desirable in some types of automobiles for control by the lock structure of the electrical controlling circuits of indicating devices on the instrument board, as for example, an oil pressure gauge, such circuit extending from the contact 3l, the contact 33 being connected with the ignition coil of the ignition circuit, and the terminal 35 being connected with the current supply source such as the battery for the automobile. Some of these indicating devices on the instrument board are controlled by current ow through delicate coils and the switching arrangement should therefore be such that the ignition circuit should be closed before closure of the instrument circuit, and the instrument circuit should be opened before the ignition circuit is opened, in order to prevent the flow of high potential current impulses from the ignition coil through the instrument circuit which might burn out the coils in such circuit. Having the operation so that the ignition circuit is rst to close and last to open, any current back-kick from the ignition coil will be dissipated before such circuit is closed, and after it has been opened.

The switch block is swung by the pin 22 which extends into a slot in the switch block near the upper end thereof. With the type of construction of lock shown, the range of movement of the switch block by the pin is rather limited so that when the switch is fully open as shown diagrammatically by Figure 6, the contact ends 33 and 3G of the switch blade are comparatively close to the terminal contacts 33 and 31 respectively, the contact end 33 being rather close to the ignition terminal contact 36, while the switch contact 3d is a little farther away from the circuit terminal contact Bl. When the switch is moved toward closing position, the switch blade will rst Contact the ignition circuit terminal 36 before the contact 341i engages with the circuit terminal 3l as shown by Figure '7, and when the switch is in full closing position both circuits will be closed as shown in Figure 8.

To yieldingly lock the switch operating lever structure in its switch open or switch closed position, a ball lil is provided to be pressed by a spring in either of the grooves or M provided on the switch lever hub 20, th-e spring being tensioned by a plug d3 having threaded engagement with the lock body i.

In the manufacture of the lock, certain tolerances in dimension are permitted for the channel ifi in the lock bolt structure and body, the channel in the lever structure hub 23 and the key 26 in the lock boit structure, and for other structural parts. These tolerances, although as limited as possible, may be enough to permit backlash or accidental movement of the switch lever structure suicient to effect enough swing of the switch block for engagement of the switch blade with the ignition circuit terminal, and if this occurs when the lock structure is in steering locking position and the electrical circuits are presumably locked in their open condition, such closure of the ignition circuit will cause the battery to run down and perhaps result in burning of the ignition coil. The important object of the invention is therefore to eliminate the chance for occurrence of any such undesirable circuit closing condition, and this is preferably accomplished by providing arrangement for snap or spring toggle movement of the switch block to its extreme positions after initial movement of the switch block by the switch lever pin past the toggle neutral line. With such toggle means provided, any backlash or loose movement of the switch lever will be unable to effect any circuit change, and the ignition circuit cannot be closed, particularly while the lock structure is in steering locking and circuit open condition.

Referring to Figures l to 5, one form of toggle arrangement is shown. A recess or notch 49 is provided in the upper edge of the switch block 3U midway between the switch blade and con tact ends 33 and 35, and a toggle link 55 engages at its lower end in this recess and projects through an opening in the top side wall of the switch housing, the switch block then forming the other toggle link. A spring 52 encircles the link 50 and abuts against shoulder 53 at the lower end thereof, the spring at its upper end abutting an abutment block 5l through which the link 55 is slidable and which block has a semi-cylindrical upper surface for engaging in the semi-cylindrical deflection 54 in the switch housing top side wall. With the toggle arrangement, complete movement of the switch block for quick opening or closure of the circuits in proper sequence is always accomplished. The slot 43 is made sufficiently wide so that when lever 2| is swung suiiiciently to move the switch block past its middle position, the spring 52 will snap the switch block into on or off position independently of the lever and without interference.

Figures 9 to 14 show a modified toggle structure and arrangement for the switch block, the lock being otherwise the same as that shown in Figures 1 to 5. In the modified arrangement, one of the toggle levers is in the form of a plate 55 pivoted at its inner end by a pin 56 extending upwardly from the switch housing 2B. At its outer end, the lever plate has a transversely extending arcuate slot 51 whose center of curvature is the pivot pin 55, and intermediate the ends of this slot a longitudinal slot 58 extends toward the pivot 56. Through the slot 58 extends the switch lever structure pin Z2 so that when the switch lever is swung, the lever plate 55 will also be swung.

The companion toggle lever 59 is in the form of a plate having the rearwardly extending flange @il at its lower edge, the plate near its other edge, having a forwardly deflected finger 6l for extending through the pivot hole 52 provided in the bottom of the switch box 28 in register with the slot 5l in the lever 55. Part of the flange 50 near its middle portion is cut down to leave a finger 52 for anchoring one end of a coiled spring 53, the other end of the spring being anchored to a nger 55 provided at the outer end of the lever plate 55.

The switch block with the three contact points, S2, 35 and 34 thereon is the same as in the arrangement of Figures 1 to 8, except that the switch block is differently mounted. In the modified arrangement, the flange 55 of the toggle plate 59 is cut away near its end to leave seating shoulders 65 for engagement by the back of the switch block, and tongues 65 for engaging in slots 6'! in the back of the switch block so that the switch block will be mounted on the toggle plate 55 with the contact bead 32 in axial alignment with the pivot pin 6l of the toggle plate and so that the switch block will swing with the toggle plate around the axis of this pivot pin.

Figure 9 shows the switch in its off position, the channel 2B in the switch structure hub 20 being at this time in alignment with the key 25 in the lock bolt structure (Figures 1 and 2), so that the lock bolt structure may be shifted to either locking or unlocking position. When the lock bolt structure is now shifted to its steering unlocking position, the switch lever will be released, and upon swing thereof toward circuit closing position, the switch pin 22 will swing the toggle plate 55 in the corresponding direction until the axis of the spring 65 passes through the toggle neutral line through the pivots 56 and 5l of the toggle plates 55 and 59 respectively, and then the spring will become effective to continue the movement of the toggle levers for snap movement of the switch block with the toggle member 59 for closure of the ignition circuit and the instrument circuit. The toggle operation from switch closing position to switch opening position will be the same. Any backlash or loose motion of the switch lever structure will not cause sufcient swing of the toggle plate 55 to bring the spring 63 up to the toggle neutral line so that there is no chance for accidental closure of the ignition circuit. The sequence of circuit closure is the same as in the structure of Figures 1 to 8, the ignition circuit being the first to close and the last to open, injury to the instrument or gauge circuit by current impulse from the ignition coil being thus prevented. When the lock bolt structure has beenl shifted to steering locking position, the switch lever structure will be locked against operation and all the circuits controlled by the switch structure will be locked in open condition and cannot be closed until the lock bolt structure has been shifted by the key controlled cylinder lock to its steering unlocking position.

I have shown practical and efcient embodiments of the various features of my invention but I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement and operation shown and described as changes and modications are possible which will still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim as follows:

In a lock of the type described, a locking bolt shiftable axially to steering locking or unlocking position, stop means for holding said bolt against rotation, an ignition switch, a rotatable switch actuating lever structure having interlocking connection with said lock bolt so as to be nonrotatable for switch closure when the bolt is in locking position, and spring toggle mechanism between said switch and said lever structure so arranged that any backlash of said lever structure due to manufacturing tolerances in said stop means and interlocking connections will be insufficient to move said toggle mechanism through its neutral line whereby to prevent closure of said switch by said backlash when said lock bolt is in locking position, said lever being operable when said locking bolt is in unlocking position a distance suincient only to move said switch for passage of the toggle mechanism through its neutral line, said toggle mechanism then effecting independently of said lever the nal setting of the switch to circuit opening or closing position and holding the switch in such set position.

HERBERT S. JANDUS. 

